Participant Recruitment Coordinator

About CASPR

CASPR (caspr.org) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the global burden of addiction through scalable science-based interventions. We are passionate about advancing evidence-based practices, running research and clinical studies, and shaping policy to find a cure for substance use disorders. Our advisory board includes some of the most well known international experts in the field. Our work was recently featured in STAT, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.

CASPR is unique in the field of addiction medicine and policy. We operate at the intersection of pharmaceutical policy, drug development, and public health, pushing for high-leverage evidence-based approaches to the addiction crisis.

About this role

The Participant Recruitment Coordinator will lead the day-to-day recruitment and retention operations for CASPR's post-incarceration GLP-1 randomized trial in Pittsburgh.

The study plans to enroll approximately 1,200 adults with moderate or severe alcohol or opioid use disorder who are at elevated risk of jail booking. The trial will operate in partnership with multiple inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment clinics, including UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital and Pittsburgh Mercy.

This person will build referral pipelines, coordinate community and clinical outreach, and effectively hand participants off to the study team. The coordinator will work closely with CASPR staff, clinical site teams, peer specialists, community recruiters, and other partners.

The strongest candidate will combine excellent organization with warmth, persistence, sound judgment, and respect for the people participating in the study. This role requires comfort working directly with individuals affected by substance use disorders, health and social challenges, and involvement with the criminal legal system.

What you'll do

• Build participant referral pipelines: Develop and maintain productive referral pathways with clinical programs, treatment providers, community organizations, re-entry services, health and social-service organizations, and other relevant sources. This includes working with the research team to set up queries of electronic medical records for potential participants within their patient population and creating a system to recruit those individuals to the study.
• Coordinate outreach activities: Plan and execute community- and site-based outreach, maintain outreach schedules and materials, and ensure that prospective participants receive clear and accurate study information.
• Manage the recruitment funnel: Track prospective participants from initial referral or outreach through contact, pre-screening, screening, enrollment, and study participation.
• Conduct participant outreach and pre-screening: Communicate with prospective participants by phone, text, email, and in person; explain the study clearly; conduct approved pre-screening activities; and coordinate next steps.
• Support eligibility screening and informed consent: Work closely with authorized UPMC and Pittsburgh Mercy research staff to schedule and support formal screening and informed-consent activities.
• Support participant scheduling: Ensure research staff are effectively scheduling study visits, suggest process improvements for participant retention, and escalate persistent retention issues to CASPR's leadership team.
• Support development of retention plans: Support research staff in building participant-centered systems to encourage continued engagement, identify barriers to participation, and coordinate appropriate support within study procedures.
• Coordinate peer specialists and community recruiters: Maintain clear outreach plans, territories or referral channels, activity expectations, handoff procedures, and communication across the recruitment team.
• Monitor recruitment performance: Track outreach volume, referrals, contact rates, screening outcomes, enrollment, retention, missed visits, and other key metrics.
• Identify and address recruitment barriers: Analyze where potential participants are being lost in the recruitment process and recommend practical changes to improve engagement and enrollment.
• Maintain accurate documentation: Enter and maintain timely, accurate records in approved study and recruitment systems while protecting sensitive personal and health information.
• Follow study and privacy requirements: Adhere to approved protocols, scripts, consent boundaries, confidentiality requirements, and applicable research and privacy procedures.
• Coordinate across partner organizations: Maintain close communication with CASPR, inpatient and outpatient clinics including UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital and Pittsburgh Mercy, the county jail, peer specialists, and relevant community partners.
• Represent CASPR professionally in the community: Build trust through reliable follow-through, respectful communication, and a nonjudgmental, participant-centered approach.

What you'll need

• 3+ years of relevant experience in participant recruitment, clinical research coordination, community health, addiction services, social work, patient navigation, outreach, retention, or a related field.
• Experience working directly with patients, research participants, clients, or community members in complex or sensitive circumstances.
• Experience in clinical research or research participant recruitment is strongly preferred.
• Experience working with people affected by alcohol or opioid use disorder, incarceration, re-entry, housing instability, or related health and social challenges is a plus.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build trust with people from a wide range of backgrounds.
• A respectful, trauma-informed, nonjudgmental approach to participant communication and support.
• Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to manage a high-volume recruitment pipeline, schedules, follow-ups, and documentation.
• Strong judgment regarding confidentiality, boundaries, participant safety, and escalation to clinical or research staff.
• Ability to communicate study information clearly and accurately without overstating potential benefits or minimizing requirements.
• Comfort using databases, spreadsheets, scheduling systems, communication tools, and participant-tracking platforms.
• Ability to coordinate multiple partner organizations, peer specialists, outreach staff, and referral channels.
• Ability to work independently in the field while remaining closely connected to a distributed project team.
• Willingness and ability to work on site in Pittsburgh and travel regularly throughout the local area.
• A valid driver's license and access to a reliable car.
• Ability to complete all required research, privacy, human-subjects, and site-specific training.
• Strong personal commitment to CASPR's mission.

How to apply

Please submit a resume and cover email detailing your relevant experience and interest in CASPR's work to [email protected].